US, Israel weeks away from co-production deal for David's Sling missile shield

The United States and Israel are weeks away from reaching a draft agreement on a co-production of Israel's air defense system called David's Sling that the two countries jointly developed, The Jerusalem Post reported.

US Navy Vice Admiral James Syring, director of the Missile Defense Agency, or MDA, said discussions and negotiations continued with Israel on the David's Sling system, which passed a series of intercept tests in April and is expected to be operational next year.

David’s Sling, also known as Magic Wand, was designed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and the US defense firm Raytheon to thwart rockets and missiles fired from 100-300 kilometers (62-186 miles) away.

The system successfully passed a series of trial runs in April, and the Israeli Air Force has already begun training operators for the array, which is expected to become operational next year.

Meanwhile, military officials said the US was also moving forward on plans to bolster its Gulf allies by developing a missile-defense system in the region.